Haoyu Li

An X-ray photon hits the detector like a pebble dropping into still water. The water is a thin film of aluminum and manganese, cooled to near absolute zero. The impact sends a heat wave rippling across the film, and by measuring its height, you can tell how much energy the photon carried.

A human effortlessly picks out the desired voice from the clamor of a party. For a computer, the same task is still at the edge of its abilities. Previous programs trained on sterile recordings, free of echo or the clinking of appliances.